Overview: After back-to-back title wins in 2019 and 2020, Mumbai have finished fifth and 10th. And for the first time since he caught the eye in 2013, Mumbai will have to navigate a campaign without Jasprit Bumrah’s lethal yorkers and short balls. They have the captaincy nous of Rohit Sharma to fall back on, but is there enough talent in the Indian contingent to sustain a title tilt?
Strengths and weaknesses: The plan was to unleash him on batsmen in tandem with Bumrah, but a fit-again Jofra Archer could well hold the key to Mumbai’s tournament. He and Cameron Green, the Australian all-rounder, are both once-in-a-generation cricketers capable of transforming a game single-handedly, and much is also expected from Dewald Brevis and Tim David. And despite his ghastly run in ODIs, Suryakumar Yadav has bossed T20 attacks for a couple of seasons now.
But with Bumrah and Jhye Richardson ruled out and not yet replaced, who is going to back up Archer and Green in the pace department? Jason Behrendorff has no IPL pedigree to speak of, and the same could be said of Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshad Khan and Ramandeep Singh. No Mumbai spinner took 10 wickets last season, and you don’t see a standout tweaker in the squad now either. Piyush Chawla last took 10 wickets in a season in 2019.
The loss of the Pandya brothers – Hardik to Gujarat and Krunal to Lucknow – before the start of last season and the retirement of Kieron Pollard from IPL duty after a dismal 2022 campaign has taken away the experienced core that supplemented Rohit and Bumrah. In some ways, Mumbai are starting from scratch.
Strategy watch: For Mumbai to win, the momentum will need to come from the top. Rohit last enjoyed a stellar season in 2016, and it’s vital that he, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and SKY build a platform for the big hitters down the order to tee off. With no 15-20-wickets-a-season spinner in the ranks, Archer will need to strike with both new ball and old to keep the opposition in check. Much will also depend on how effective Green’s bowling is on end-of-season Indian pitches.
Impact Player watch: South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs has a strike-rate of 151 from 48 T20 innings. He may not be a first-choice starter, but on batting-friendly surfaces, the temptation to throw him in to do some damage down the order will be immense.
Last year: They suffered the embarrassment of losing their first eight games, before rebounding to win four of the last six. Still finished rock-bottom with eight points, behind Chennai on net run-rate.
Best finish: They have won a record five titles, with the last coming in 2020.
First-Choice XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Cameron Green, Ramandeep Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Hrithik Shokeen, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff.